Self Defense is a Right!

Know your Rights, Protect your Rights!

On December 18, 2012 Carlos Riley Jr. He defended himself against a Durham Police Officer who threatened to kill him. Self Defense is a Right, and Carlos had a Right to protect himself! We must come together to stop unjustified wrongdoings of overly abusive authority.

Taped statements!

I am an attorney and brother to Carlos Riley, Jr.'s grandmother. I have the statement of the officer. The officer stated he saw Carlos's car parked on the roadside. He did not know Carlos nor had any prior contact with him. Another person was talking to Carlos through the passenger side. The officer stopped his unmarked car behind Carlos. (He did not give any justification for his conduct) Carlos drove away. The officer stated Carlos sped off. The officer turned on his lights and Carlos stopped right away in a parking lot. Carlos provided ID. The officer stated the reason for the stop was for a traffic violation because Carlos drove off at excessive speed, no other reason. While Carlos attempted to get his registration the officer grabbed Carlos through the open drivers' door, Carlos' foot slipped from the clutch or brake and the car rolled forward. The officer entered the car and tried to cuff Carlos. He was behind Carlos. He lost his badge and cuffs in the car at that time. (In taking the statement the investigating officer did everything to protect the officer and failed to correctly get specifics and details of the incident.) From the discovery documents, Carlos had a busted lip and evidence of being hit about the face and head. Carlos slipped from the illegal choke hold. According to the statement, Carlos was outside the vehicle when the officer said I am going to shoot and pulled his gun. After the shot went off, the officer stated Carlos took hold of the gun, released the magazine and ejected the bullet in the chamber while the officer still held the gun. The officer then stated that Carlos said, I can't believe you tried to shoot me. Carlos helped the officer out of the car, placed him on the ground and left the scene. He surrendered later. Evidence supports the above. Had Carlos stayed on the scene he likely would have been killed by responding police. Had he left the gun with the officer he likely would have been shot by the officer. In any case, he surrendered. Now he is charged with attacking a police officer, robbery of the gun, badge and handcuffs and facing 10 years on federal charges of felon in possession of a gun, the police officers gun he threw away. The federal charges are piled on because the local charges are weak. Walter Riley Attorney at Law

Did Racial Profiling Put an Unarmed Black Man in Jail in North Carolina?

We need your Help!

We do not know everything about what occurred when Officer Kelly Stewart approached Carlos Riley Jr. on December 18, 2012. Our understanding will undoubtedly increase as Carlos' lawyers investigate these incidents and obtain additional information from the police and prosecuting attorneys. But what we know so far has persuaded us that the following is true:

1. On December 18, at about 10 a.m., Carlos had just dropped his girlfriend off at work and had stopped to talk with an acquaintance. Without any lawful reason for doing so, Officer Stewart, who was driving an unmarked police vehicle and wearing civilian clothes, pulled up behind Carlos.

2. Carlos did not know that the person who came up behind him was a police officer and drove away, as he was legally entitled to do. Officer Stewart, without legal justification, chased Carlos and turned on the lights on his vehicle.

3. When Carlos saw the lights, he immediately stopped. Officer Stewart came up to the side of Carlos' car and wrongly accused him of smoking marijuana... Carlos denied smoking or having marijuana in the car.

4. Office Stewart then jumped into the car and began to choke and punch Carlos. Carlos could not breathe and struggled to free himself. Officer Stewart then threatened to kill him and began to draw his gun. Office Stewart shot himself in the leg.

5. Carlos feared that the next shot would be for him and was afraid that he would be killed. He grabbed the gun and pulled it away from the officer. He then helped the officer out of the car and fled to protect himself because he thought he would be shot and killed when other officers arrived at the scene.

6. Within a few hours Carlos voluntarily turned himself in to the Durham Police Department. He is now facing state and federal charges.

7. This situation developed because of the actions of Officer Stewart and the policies and practices of the Durham Police Department. Officer Stewart should never have stopped or chased Carlos, should not have jumped into his car, should not have punched or choked Carlos, and should not have drawn his gun. The Police Department is responsible because it does not properly train or supervise its officers and does not discipline officers who violate peoples' rights.. Instead, like many police departments across the country it engages in racial profiling and allows its officers to abuse people, particularly young African American men.